Orian Wren (1936-; see Biographies) wrote this while visiting in Bohio, July 14, 1983. In March, 1984 the SDAH Committee wrote to him at his home in Oxford, England, telling him that six hymn texts of his had been voted up to that date. He was invited to submit any new and unpublished hymn texts he had recently written and would like to have considered for inclusion. He responded most graciously with a sheaf of manuscripts, among them this one with the heading “The Sure Foundation-a Salute to the American Evangelical Tradition.” The first two stanzas are in the second person, talking about Christ as the answer to the “aching,” “loveless, unfulfilling” dark times in our lives. The third stanza is a direct invitation to accept Christ as the “open door to life and peace.” Scripture allusions are: “My peace give unto you: not as the world giveth” (John 14:27) and “I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone he, a sure foundation” (Isa. 28:16).

Hymns and Tunes, an official book of 1,413 items, was published by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in 1886. Serving on the committee were George I. Butler, Uriah Smith (see SDAH 602), J. H. Waggoner, A. R. Henry, and Edwin Barnes (see SDAH 6). F. E. Belden (see Biographies) and Barnes were the musical editors. From the preface, this paragraph explains the section Miscellaneous-Old Melodies: “A special effort has been made to gather up and preserve some old melodies which were favorites in the great Advent movement of 1840-1844, but which have for some reason fallen into disuse. The older members of the household of faith, at least, will be pleased to meet with these again, in this book.”

EMERALD GATES is one of those “old melodies” from Hymns and Tunes, appearing there with the text “Burst ye emerald gates.” No composer is given, only the word arranged.

George Pullen Jackson, in his book, White Spirituals in the Southern Uplands, says he found this tune in the 1820 Supplement to the Kentucky Harmony. The compiler, Ananias Davisson, there claims 11 of the tunes as his own, including EMERALD GATES. Regarding Davisson’s life, a William Blake wrote an article in the magazine Musical Million, 1884: “He was born February 2 1780… I am almost certain it was along the borderline of Maryland and Virginia. He was author of Kentucky Harmony, a book characteristic of that period, abounding in minor tunes. The Wartmanns of Harrisonburg were his publishers. He spent the evening of his life on his farm at Weyer’s Cave, about 14 miles from Dayton [Virginia], and died . aged 76 years. He was a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church and a man of unaffected piety.” The early part of his life was well occupied with the teaching of singing schools, composing, and publishing music.

Brian Wren suggested the early American tune DROOPING SOULS for his text, but the committee chose EMERALD GATES as being a bit more singable.

📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.